President John Dramani Mahama has removed Yaw Ampofo Ankrah from his position as Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), amid ongoing scrutiny over an alleged visa facilitation arrangement linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong has been appointed Acting Director-General of the NSA following Ampofo Ankrah’s removal.
Ampofo Ankrah’s exit comes weeks after allegations emerged concerning a purported arrangement in which individuals seeking to travel to the 2026 World Cup were allegedly charged money for assistance with visas and travel arrangements.
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The minority in Parliament subsequently called for Ampofo Ankrah to be suspended or dismissed while investigations into the allegations continued.
The minority alleged that more than US$600,000 was collected through the arrangement and claimed that some applicants were charged as much as US$8,000 for assistance with travel arrangements. These claims have not been established as fact.
The matter also became the subject of a police investigation, with reports that the NSA Director-General and some staff were questioned by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
The NSA has denied authorising any visa facilitation service or money-collection arrangement connected to the 2026 World Cup.
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In a statement, the Authority said it had neither engaged in nor sanctioned activities of the kind alleged and confirmed that its legal team was cooperating with the police investigation.
The NSA also said that Ampofo Ankrah and other officials would make themselves available to assist with any lawful investigation.
The Minority had stressed that its call for Ampofo Ankrah to step aside was not intended to prejudge the outcome of the investigation but argued that his removal or suspension would allow the probe to proceed without concerns over institutional leadership.
Ampofo Ankrah’s removal comes less than a month after President Mahama dissolved the governing board of the National Sports Authority with immediate effect on September 2, 2026.
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The Presidency confirmed that the NSA was among nine state institutions whose governing boards were dissolved, with the affected boards expected to be reconstituted in due course.
Ampofo Ankrah was a member of the dissolved NSA board in his capacity as Director-General. His subsequent removal from the Director-General position is a separate development from the earlier dissolution of the board.
The latest changes leave Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong in charge of the NSA on an acting basis as the controversy surrounding the alleged World Cup visa arrangement remains subject to investigation.
Source: New
